“Yet again the Trump Administration is pandering to big oil and gas at the expense of our health and our communities,” said Emily Green, CLF Senior Attorney. “As we run out of time to tackle the climate crisis, this policy moves the country in the wrong direction. It will lead directly to a dirtier, more polluted future. We cannot afford to hit reverse on these standards.”
“As we said in June, this is a huge victory for Rhode Island and for the health of our communities,” said CLF Senior Attorney Jerry Elmer. “In the face of climate emergency, opening a fossil fuel plant that will spew carbon pollution for decades is simply reckless. After years of lies and misinformation, Invenergy’s efforts to pave over a forest to build this dirty plant have been dealt a substantial loss. This is proof that communities can stand up to big gas and win.”
“Customers should absolutely not be straddled with higher bills because of the mistakes of utilities,” said Amy Moses, Vice President and Director of CLF Rhode Island. “But the report’s suggestion of reducing demand for gas simply doesn’t go far enough. We need to get off dirty fracked gas and focus on clean renewables, not expand infrastructure that only harms our air and destroys our climate.”
(This article originally appeared in Commonwealth Magazine.)
We do not need another study to tell us that the impacts of climate change are here. Storms are growing more intense each year, and we continue to break heat records every summer. We must reach net-zero emissions in the coming decades to ensure these conditions do not get worse, and the 2050 Roadmap Bill provides the plan to get us there.
Biomass developers are pushing for state policy changes that would allow their plants to emit more air pollution, underreport their climate impacts, and take families’ and businesses’ money while harming the health of our communities. CLF is joining Springfield residents and other local groups in fighting back.
Two utilities are looking to pass the costs of new gas projects along to Mainers. But their proposals are inconsistent with Maine’s new climate law.
The world’s oceans are in dire straits. A startling UN report confirms what we at CLF have been saying for years: Without drastic measures to halt climate-damaging emissions and protect our oceans, life in New England, and around the world, will be forever changed. If we act now, we can still protect our oceans and way of life for future generations. But we don’t have a moment to waste.
As they campaign in New Hampshire, presidential candidates must address the critical environmental threats facing our communities.
“Transportation emissions are worsening the climate crisis, and it’s about time the region worked together on a solution,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Director of CLF’s Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program. “Underserved communities have endured the majority of pollution and a lack of healthy transportation options for too long, and they must be the first to see the benefits from a clean transportation system. While today’s plan is a good first step, we need to be working on all fronts to reduce emissions and improve air quality.”
